Recommended equipment for portrait and wedding photography

[Randius]

I am currently using a D80 + 18-200 + 50/1.4 + SB800 and will like to hear from the bros what are the recommended lenses / cameras to get should I wish to delve more into portraiture and wedding photography with the intention of setting up a business in future? Wish to build up the equipment while working on the skills.

Please do not comment on getting books and attending courses as these will be considered seperately.

[IONSOON]

get the 17-55mm f2.8?

[xunjas]

85mm, 135mm. 24-70mm would be gd.

[Randius]

Originally Posted by IONSOON get the 17-55mm f2.8?

Maybe not. Will want to move to FX camera someday

Originally Posted by xunjas 85mm, 135mm. 24-70mm would be gd.

Those seems to be good choices but does wedding require wider lenses?

[knpan]

50mm 1.4 or 1.8 , 85 f1.4 or 1.8 is good

[sprintist]

Originally Posted by Randius I am currently using a D80 + 18-200 + 50/1.4 + SB800 and will like to hear from the bros what are the recommended lenses / cameras to get should I wish to delve more into portraiture and wedding photography with the intention of setting up a business in future? Wish to build up the equipment while working on the skills. Please do not comment on getting books and attending courses as these will be considered seperately.

if not on getting books, then do some research here on CS, very oftenly discussed.

[xunjas]

Originally Posted by Randius Maybe not. Will want to move to FX camera someday Those seems to be good choices but does wedding require wider lenses?

24mm on a cropped body would be quite narrow. unless there is a spare camera body, simply have to zoom with feet. That is my consideration.

[Randius]

Too bad, Nikon doesn't have a 24-105/2.8 Think that will be a great lens.

How often is flash used in weddings? Most shots I've seen seem to be taken with ambient light.

[lukesky]

Originally Posted by Randius Too bad, Nikon doesn't have a 24-105/2.8 Think that will be a great lens. How often is flash used in weddings? Most shots I've seen seem to be taken with ambient light.

really? my view is most wedding shots are taken with flash, except since it's bounced flash, then it looks like ambient light.

[Randius]

I haven't learn and use much of flashlight to tell the difference. That is another area I will need to work on.

Though primes offer larger aperture of f2 and less but even with two bodies, will primes be sufficient to keep up with the pace of weddings?

[helmiz]

Tamron 17-50mm f2.8. Nice colours.

[xunjas]

Originally Posted by lukesky really? my view is most wedding shots are taken with flash, except since it's bounced flash, then it looks like ambient light.

for high high ceiling, bounced flash doesn't help much. iso 1600/ 3200 is used for most scenes. flash can be distracting and disturbing, causing them to have shocked or stunned look in the photos..

[Randius]

Originally Posted by xunjas for high high ceiling, bounced flash doesn't help much. iso 1600/ 3200 is used for most scenes. flash can be distracting and disturbing, causing them to have shocked or stunned look in the photos..

ISO1600/3200?! Won't that introduce a lot of noise?

[zac08]

D3, 14-24, 24-70, 70-200

and 2 or 3 SB-800's

[jOhO]

i think it's quite hard to answer ur query, since we don't know how much you want to spend.

you also dun really know whether u can handle shooting weddings with/without flash, with zoom/prime...

so how to help decide wat equipment you need?

if i were to tell you that 95% of my wedding shots are on prime without flash, would you then follow what i do?

i guess u need to figure out your shooting style, then u will know wat equipment u need.

[Randius]

Originally Posted by jOhO i think it's quite hard to answer ur query, since we don't know how much you want to spend. you also dun really know whether u can handle shooting weddings with/without flash, with zoom/prime... so how to help decide wat equipment you need? if i were to tell you that 95% of my wedding shots are on prime without flash, would you then follow what i do? i guess u need to figure out your shooting style, then u will know what equipment u need.

No, the equipment will be gotten over a period of time and not overnight as I am not turning pro and starting the business any time soon, so budget is less of a concern. I also understand that the choice of equipment will largely depend on each photographer's style but I will like to find out what are the preferred equipment. Certainly, some lenses get mentioned over and over again simply they can achieve the effects desired by either the photographer and/or majority of the clients, whereas others may be unique to the photographer's style.

True, I am still in the process of finding out these myself but wish to find out should I prefer particular shooting style (no flash and mostly primes? flash and zoom), what are the recommended equipment to get so less money is wasted.

For now, I tend to favour shooting without flash and using zoom lenses but I realise flash may be essential in certain circumstances and will need learn that soon. Prime lens is something I am struggling to make full use of...

[lukesky]

Originally Posted by xunjas for high high ceiling, bounced flash doesn't help much. iso 1600/ 3200 is used for most scenes. flash can be distracting and disturbing, causing them to have shocked or stunned look in the photos..

Sometimes u don't have a choice rite? Like those wedding dinners in those hotel ballrooms, most of them have much higher ceilings than HDB flats, but all the wedding dinners I've been to have PGs shooting with flash... and their flash is the typical point -pwards-with-bounce-card kind of pattern..

So if hotel ballrooms use flash, I don't see why HDB flats can't since their ceiling is much lower. Shooting at such high ISO, I'm sure everyone would like it if their cam was up to that standard.. unfortunately mine isnt..

[xunjas]

Originally Posted by Randius ISO1600/3200?! Won't that introduce a lot of noise?

for 30D and above models, u can shoot at those iso settings as noise is pretty well controlled. tried and saw those photos by myself. =)

[xunjas]

Originally Posted by lukesky Sometimes u don't have a choice rite? Like those wedding dinners in those hotel ballrooms, most of them have much higher ceilings than HDB flats, but all the wedding dinners I've been to have PGs shooting with flash... and their flash is the typical point -pwards-with-bounce-card kind of pattern.. So if hotel ballrooms use flash, I don't see why HDB flats can't since their ceiling is much lower. Shooting at such high ISO, I'm sure everyone would like it if their cam was up to that standard.. unfortunately mine isnt..

u have a choice, u can rent cameras.. =)

i have used flash during outdoor evening ceremony and night dinner at a hotel poolside. I used a LS as well. The ambient light level is not enough. That is no choice for me.

[xunjas]

Originally Posted by Randius No, the equipment will be gotten over a period of time and not overnight as I am not turning pro and starting the business any time soon, so budget is less of a concern. I also understand that the choice of equipment will largely depend on each photographer's style but I will like to find out what are the preferred equipment. Certainly, some lenses get mentioned over and over again simply they can achieve the effects desired by either the photographer and/or majority of the clients, whereas others may be unique to the photographer's style. True, I am still in the process of finding out these myself but wish to find out should I prefer particular shooting style (no flash and mostly primes? flash and zoom), what are the recommended equipment to get so less money is wasted. For now, I tend to favour shooting without flash and using zoom lenses but I realise flash may be essential in certain circumstances and will need learn that soon. Prime lens is something I am struggling to make full use of...

24-70mm and 70-200mm are two lens that u wont go wrong. u can rent a FF body camera to make full use of their range.